Sapphire Star

Chapter 1 Milan

The sun was high in the sky as the Limo rolled along the city streets of Milan reflected in the blue glass of the metropolitan plaza skyscrapers. Pacifica Northwest was glad to be away from prep school and the cut-throat spirit of competition. Phillips Exeter Academy was certainly a challenge she was fit for academically. What had taken her by surprise however was how remote it felt. It was amazing how you could be packed shoulder to shoulder and feel so utterly alone. The cold winter in New Hampshire compounded the feeling in those bleak months trapped in her dorm. Her 18th birthday had come and gone that cold early spring. No one at school knew and she was not holding her breath for anyone from home to remember.

When summer finally came around after I graduated it felt like I was like escaping a state penitentiary. Needless to say, Pacifica was in high spirits. When my father had told me he was taking a business trip to Milan, he also mentioned his client's children would be there. On this note, he had invited me. I was all on board. I had jumped at the chance to travel abroad, also, I would be lying to myself if I said I was not excited to visit one of the fashion capitals of the world. As much as I loved the summer house in Gravity Falls I could not bear the thought of being trapped alone with my parents there either at the start of summer vacation.

As the car settled to a stop at an intersection I heard my name, drawing me out of my reverie. Father pointed ahead. The Galleria Vittorio stood an edifice to architectural ingenuity and craftsmanship. If we had the time I would have loved to explore and peruse the art. As the cityscape gave way to the golden rolling hills of farmland and green vineyards I reflected on the day.

Father was in a good mood having brokered a deal merging with another company in which he bartered for seventy-thirty percent ownership his way. This was the reason they were heading to a fancy villa in the countryside to celebrate with the merger clients and father's clients. While this would normally sound boring Pacifica knew some of her father's client's children. She hadn't seen Erica and Trisha since Jr. Boarding school. It would be nice to catch up.

As the limo pulled into the estate through the front gates the drive stretched on for half a mile of brick walls with marbled green and white variegated ivy scaling the lengths. You could appreciate the magnitude of the sprawling estate from this distance appropriately. Clay-tiled rooftops stretched across an impressive expanse of networked structures of varying sizes and height across the terraced terrain. The effect was impressive.

The car pulled up next to the grand entrance steps parking on the cobblestone roundabout surrounding a magnificent fountain. The chauffeur stepped up to my father's door and then mine to welcome us to the estate. I straightened my dress that my father had let me buy in town after sitting in the car to remove any wrinkles. It was lake foam green and fit me mostly well. I had lost a little weight with the stress and college but I bought the dress in my normal size. It still fits me well enough.

As we walked up to the estate you could smell the fragrances of the countryside wafting in the soft warm breeze. The villa was comprised of so many different bright colors it was strikingly vibrant. The doorway was large enough that two servants would have been needed to open the doors had they not been already.

We entered the foyer to find the inside just as tall, and somewhat taller near the middle of the room. It was split level with two stairways that hugged the walls with beautiful brass banisters. As we walked in my father was greeted by Roberto Bianchi the estate owner my father had closed the business deal with. They talked about his vineyard and the estate and then moved on to business.

As my attention waned Roberto noticing stopped and mentioned to my father that the other children of my father's business partners and his were on the other side of the estate. He offered that I could join them if I cared. "The parlor is in the far end of the estate. If you pass straight through the atrium you will reach it," he said. I looked at my father. He nodded approval. "Thank you," I said as I curtsied to Roberto. A rare token of generosity for me, but for an equally rare one from my father's usual business partners in being so observantly thoughtful and kind.